Caethoven surprise winner- Vinokourov holds on to leader jersey
07.08.2004/ The 23-year-old Belgian rider Steven Caethoven was the surprise winner of the fourth stage of the Regio-Tour on Saturday. The rider from the Belgian Vlaanderen team was the quickest in the bunch sprint that decided the 168.4 km stage from Emmendingen to Lahr. T-Mobile rider Alexander Vinoukourov crossed the line with the main bunch, in 23rd place, and starts Sunday's final stage in yellow.
Saturday's stage got off to a hectic start and the attacks came thick and fast. With just 15 km still to race a breakaway trio held a 16 second lead on the peloton. But with the Gerolsteiner and T-Mobile riders setting the pace at the front of the peloton, the trio were reeled in 12 km before the finish, and the stage was set for a mass sprint finish.
Target: the overall win for Vino
"Our goal today was to protect Vino's yellow jersey. It worked - the lads rode a good tempo without over-exerting themselves," said the T-Mobile directeur sportif Frans van Looy. Young T-Mobile rider Stephan Schreck stayed close to his captain Vinokourov and remains second in the classement.
The five stage Regio-Tour (UCI-Category 2.3) finishes on Sunday with a 177.1 km stage from Herbolzheim to Vogtsburg. "Tomorow's stage is another hilly one, a tough prospect for us. But our goal is still to protect Vino's yellow jersey," says van Looy, who is also not ruling out another stage win for the team. "The way the team have been riding this Tour, I wouldn't rule out anything. Stephan Schreck is in particularly impressive form."
Source: www.t-mobileteam.com
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